The Bose Companion 2 speaker system provides stellar audio performance at an affordable price.
Introduction
Bose has been a leader in the consumer audio market for quite some time. The company has also been one of my personal favorites ever since I picked up the Quiet Comfort 15 headphones as I have experienced first hand their excellent customer support and unmatched quality of their products. Today, I will be reviewing a less portable product from the company that is geared for bringing that premier audio performance to your home PC or entertainment system. The two speaker set is priced at $99.95 and is one of Bose's most popular products.
Cosmetic Appeal, Design, & Build Quality
Much like Bose's other products, these speakers are beautiful and very pleasing to the eye. Modeled with a contemporary & elegant appearance the system was designed to ooze class from all areas. They complement any laptop or PC and in my case, they look especially sharp coupled next to my 15″ Retina Macbook Pro. When comparing the cosmetic appeal of these speakers to other dual desktop speakers at a similar price point, the Bose Companion 2's blow all of them out of the water.
The speakers are designed very well and seem to have great durability. Based on the build quality and the Bose reputation, I would expect these speakers to provide a pleasant audio experience for many years to come. The basic design is geared for tabletop use with an audio adjustment knob on the front of the speakers as well as an accompanying auxiliary input for easy access in the event you decide you would like to plug in headphones for private listening.
Features
At the $99 price point, you truly don't get a plethora of features that some of larger more expensive speaker systems offer. Since you only receive two speakers and no subwoofer this is a limiting factor. The features that are included are pretty impressive nonetheless. The Bose Companion 2's feature TrueSpace stereo digital processing circuitry which focuses on the two-channel audio experience geared perfectly for listening at your computer.
The system also includes dual inputs that lets you attach two different audio sources simultaneously meaning you can hook up the Bose Companion 2 speakers to your PC as well as an MP3 player at the same time if you so desire. The catch is in order to do this you will need to purchase a separate audio cable. The speakers are magnetically shielded to prevent interference or any possible damage to magnetic media. Lastly, automatic tonal balance helps the Companion 2s to provide excellent performance by adjusting to any listening level.
Function
Testing the Bose Companion 2 speaker system, I was impressed. The sound quality was clear as it hit all the low, mid, and high tones that I threw at it. At both low and high volumes the sound was consistent, crisp, and clear with no evident distortion or noticeable flaws. My biggest gripe is with the bass quality or real lack of it. There is some limited built-in bass support, but it does not remotely compare to having a dedicated subwoofer like some of the more expensive options include. I realize for the $99 price tag this is asking a little much as the speaker quality themselves would likely decline significantly if they had to bundle in a subwoofer at the same price point.
Currently, the only Bose option for computer speakers that includes the subwoofer is the Companion 5 multimedia speaker system which is priced at a whooping $399.95. I would really like to see Bose give us the option to purchase an “upgraded” set of this speaker system that included a separate subwoofer for around $50-$75 more. I believe the speakers are an excellent product just the addition of a subwoofer would push this system to new heights and give me higher overall satisfaction.
Final Thoughts
In the end, I think the Bose Companion 2 speakers are well made and provide an excellent audio experience. If you can get over the lack of a dedicated subwoofer then I think this is a great purchase and it will suit the vast majority of potential buyer's audio needs perfectly. If you really need a subwoofer and have a higher budget look into Bose's more expensive option the Companion 5 multimedia speaker system.
